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With a wide-open neckline, this off turtle neck dress will make your face look smaller. A thin cotton linen bark cloth allows you to create a dress in a relaxed silhouette without looking too puffy. With a long sleeve inner shirt and a pair of boots, even a casual style coordination will be very stylish!

We interviewed Anriko about her creation:Kokka Fabric (KF): What did you think of the fabric you used for this project?
Slightly thin cotton linen bark cloth allows you to create a dress with a large tuck and relaxed silhouette without looking too puffy. Putting in the cute patterns as a main feature, I created a one-piece dress.

KF: Can you tell us any special elements or ideas that you incorporated into this creation?
A wide-open neckline, combined with a stand-up collar off turtle style makes your neckline look beautiful. It even makes your face look smaller. Creating a detailed tuck and pleated treatment often takes an effort,
so, for this piece, it only requires one large diagonal tuck, offering an interesting look.

KF: What are some tips for making this dress?
Attaching the drop shoulder sleeve and sewing body and neckline all at once to create a turtle neck – these are the elements that make it easy for sewing beginners. If you are worried about steady stitching, be mindful when selecting the sewing thread.

KF: How should we use this dress in everyday situations?
For a person around 5’-4” in height, the hem will be roughly around your knees. The sleeve is a little short of full length. You can put it on by itself as a dress, or it looks great layered with an inner long sleeve shirt or a pair of pants underneath.

KF: Thank you very much, Anriko! Here are sewing instructions along with step by step photos from her. Enjoy crafting!

Instructions

1.
As you can see, the front body is not symmetrical. It may sound fussy, but when you are sewing the pieces together, it is easier to have the left front with straight fabric grain shown at the top.

2.
Front bodies are sewn together with a folded tuck. Make sure to fold the tuck neatly so that it can create a clean finish with a correct angle. For this type of project, I tend to baste at 7mm for 1cm seam to avoid misalignment later.

3.
Attaching the drop shoulder sleeves is easy as it has a gentle angle. Pressing the seam with stitches can make the dress comfortable to wear, but you can skip the process if you choose to do so.

4.
The collar is attached. The looped collar is folded in half and sewn onto the body all at once.

5.
The dress is finished. In the photo, the collar is folded back. It also looks cute when the collar is scrunched.